Bells of Ireland
by E. Delano Rosenthal
Summary: Morgan Cameron grew up inside the Circle. She has never know another life, but when she is faced with her mother's murder she makes a decision that will forever change her. She will discover a family she never knew she had and find another meaning to her life.
1. Chapter 1

"They're in Rome." Dr. Steve shouted from inside the meeting. I was sitting outside the cold stone walls of the underground catacombs. The draft from the open windows froze me in place (literally my feet might have been frozen to the ground). I felt very unimportant as I sat outside the meeting. It wasn't a new feeling. I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel insignificant sometimes, like they could just disappear, and no one would notices for days. Well, that's me, Mo. . . okay no one calls me that, but if I had friends they might.

I am part of a centuries old secret organization. I am a spy.

Of course the Circle of Cavan is for anti-government radicals - not technically spies - but almost every person in the Circle was a double agent. Spies who have secretly turned their backs on their countries and become double agents.

As wrapped my arms around my knees and stare into the abyss at the end of the hallway I contemplated why I wasn't allowed in the meetings anymore. Catherine had let me sit in on a meeting once. It only for lasted fifteen minutes. I was kicked out after I suggested we change our name from The Circle of Cavan to something cooler, I mean the name's like 200 years old, and the Cavan guy died like a hundred and fifty years ago (it was definitely not a pretty death, stabbed with your own sword, embarrassing). I offered the suggestions; the "Anti-Gallagher League" and "The Gallagher Girls are Morons Group." No one ever heard these ideas, I was kicked out for muttering obnoxiously.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Catherine Goode tossed a manila envelope into my lap. "Morgan, you're going hunting."

She meant I was going to Rome, the file didn't have a lot of information. All I could gather was that a certain Cameron Morgan was going to Rome to retrieve the son American Ambassador. I was meant to prevent Cameron Morgan from acquiring Preston Winters at all costs. I spent several seconds marveling over the fact that my target had my name backwards.

Catherine was accompanying me to Rome, but she was going there for a different reason. From what I could gather, Catherine intended to kill Ambassador Winters.

I've known Catherine all my life, she's like my aunt . . .

A weird aunt that hates you and has been attempting to over-through every government in the world since your birth. Catherine doesn't like me that much, and I'm totally okay with it, I just feel like she's stomping on my heart. . .

I might love Catherine

Just a little bit. I mean just because she is a psychopath doesn't mean she's heartless. Well actually it kind of does, but whatever.

I grew up within the Circle my mother was a member, she died when I was a little kid. No one ever talks about my mother. At first I thought it was because they were sad, but then I realized they had a different reason. My mother was a traitor. I guess that's why no one talks about how she died. She passed on all the names of every leading family of the Circle to the CIA.

I don't think I'm a traitor, but the people I've lived with for my whole life probably killed my mother. You only get one mom.

I'm not really sure what the Circle of Cavan does, I only have simple orders that I follow. No one has ever bothered to tell me the true purpose of the organization, and it never bothered me until three weeks ago.

I was wandering around the old caves of the new base, I had only arrived a few days ago and still didn't know the layout too well. The members of the Circle had gone, and I was alone. I found a door hidden in the wall, I wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the unusual dust patterns outside around the floor. At first glance it appeared to simply be a filing room, but them I noticed the few files out. They were files on each kill of the Circle's. When I noticed the file labeled 'Augusta Foxx', my heart stopped for a moment. When I flipped open the file stamped on in dark red letters 'terminated'.

There it was undeniable proof, I couldn't pretend anymore.

My mother was dead. And they killed her.

After the acceptance that my guardians had murdered my mother, I wasn't sure if I was willing to die for the Circle anymore. So when I got on the plane with Catherine, I was plagued with quite a bit of uncertainty. Should I really redefine my life because a traitor was killed, everyone kills traitors. Even the Americans kill traitors, but to me Augusta Foxx wasn't just an average traitor she was my mother, and you only get one of those.


	2. Chapter 2

I was never good at traveling. The planes that smelled like recycled air, the time changes, the other people; that was the worst part the other people. I grew up within a secret organization, people skills aren't really something I have.

Catherine was seventeen rows up and on the other side of the plane siting in first class, I think I heard her ask to be seated as far away as possible from me. My seat is far too small to be comfortable, and reeks of vomit. At least I got a window seat though.

Even though I memorized the emergency pamphlet when I was four, I still read through it. Safety First. The flight is enjoyably short, no layovers, no plane changes; straight to Rome.

Clouds cover the city when we land, all I can see is the white, then the snow-covered landing strip. Catherine ignored me as we climbed down the stairs of the plane and onto the freezing tarmac below. We separated at the airport, Catherine had rented a car and drove to her destination without a word to me.

I watched as Catherine drove into the snowy crowds of people and food stands. Half heartedly I lift my hand above my head and wave, I know I've invested far too much in Catherine. She clearly doesn't care about me, but I can't help myself, she has been the only constant in my life. Everyone else didn't even bother with me and/or died a long time ago.

I followed a crowd of tourist into the array of snow-covered cobblestone streets and ancient buildings. I saw an old women selling flowers on the corner, they were beautiful so I stopped. The flowers looked like a Van Gogh painting, the colors mixed and traveled through the air into the rest of the marketplace. When I looked up the old women was looking at me with an odd expression.

"Mi ricordi un ragazzo sapevo," she just looked at me. It took me a few moments to realize she was speaking to me, sure I was the only one in her immediate proximity, but no one ever spoke to me. People only spoke about me or at me, I hadn't had a real conversation in years. I didn't know what to do, my social skills were far below average. Very far below. Only later when I thought about the conversion again did I realize what she actually said and wonder about her words.

The women turned her back to me and I finally had a moment to breathe, but before I could turn and run, she had grabbed my hand and pushed a bundle of small green flowers towards me. They smelled like a fresh green meadow and green peas at the same time. She looked into my eyes and didn't say anything, she looked afraid. Hell, she looked terrified. She smiled at me this sad small smile, that made me wish she hadn't. Before I could say anything, she disappeared back into her shop.

"Thank you," I whispered after her.

I walked about four more miles before I wondered into another alley, it looked the same as all the others. Empty laundry lines ran between windows, snow-covered the tops of the lines. Then I looked forwards towards my destination. Tourists covered every inch of the building. Every imaginable item was stuck in the window; belts, pursues, jewelry, and a million other things I didn't even know existed until I saw them. People moved in groups sliding around in the frozen cobblestone courtyard as I walked pass them towards the shabby hotel at the end of the street.

Silently I handed the man at the front desk my confirmation number. The key was ancient, a hard plastic sheet with various holes punched out to defer each individual card. 112 steps later I reached the room, the decor was a pale pink, with orange sheets. The room was at the very top of the building, it gave me a 360 degree view of the city.

Cameron Morgan was arriving to the American Embassy in Rome in about 6 hours. I would be ready to give a satisfactory distraction while Catherine worked towards killing Ambassador Winters.

I slid the backpack off my back, it fell lightly on the bed, and I pulled out a hard black case. Inside of the case were several pieces of black metal cylinders and springs, when fixed together the pieces created a high power weapon that could kill a man from 1,000 meters away.

When I said I was a spy, that might have not been the totally truth. Spies manipulate people to achieve their ends, I have zero manipulation skills. A better description of what I do would be professional murderer. My name is Morgan Cameron. I am fourteen years old. I am an assassin.


	3. Chapter 3

120 minutes until arrival; I had combed over every inch of the files, I knew almost everything there was to know about Cameron Morgan, Rebecca Baxter, and Macey McHenry. They were all Gallagher Girls, they were all members of a group I had been taught to hate since the moment of my birth, they were all innocent.

My assignment was to terminate Morgan. An innocent.

Well pretty much an innocent.

I put the ear bud in, Catherine would contact me and give me my orders, but not for more than half an hour.

100 minutes until arrival; I began towards the American Embassy. The city was dark now, it was colder too, and the wind moved more swiftly. I passed the heavy gates that lead to the entrance of the Embassy, memorizing every aspect as I walked by. I walked the narrow sidewalk for a few more meters before I reached an empty two-story house.

20 minutes until arrival; I adjusted myself in the window, and opened the black case I was carrying. I flipped open the lid hastily to reveal the gun. When the lid hit the ground a file slipped out and skidded across the room, hit the opposite wall and every piece of paper in the file scattered across the room. I stared it for a moment, I had put the file in the case weeks ago, after I had found it. I had no intention of reading it, but I liked carrying it with me. It felt like a piece of my mother, for some odd reason I felt connected to her through the old file.

I got up and crossed the room, totally aware that the target was to arrive in 15 minutes and counting, also aware that the arrival time was just an estimate. I began to pick up the papers, the I looked down and there was a picture.

My mother had died when I was just a kid. I could barely remember what she looked like, but when I saw the photo it came rushing back. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair that reached below her shoulders, and bright blue eyes. She was wonderful.

I don't know how long I sat reading through my mother's file, but there was a crackle over the com. "Morgan, come in," Catherine's voice cracked across the intercom. I paid her no attention, I was still transfixed on the file.

I flipped the pages over savoring every line, I wanted every tidbit of information within the file. After weeks of denying myself I finally gave in to the enigma that was my mother. I wanted to know everything about this women. Finally I reached the final page of my mother's file, and found what I had dreaded. A detailed report on how the Circle had orchestrated her death.

I flung the papers from my hands and walked back to the gun, my muscles took over. I didn't think as I slipped the various pieces into place, a killing machine was in my hands.

"Ready," I whispered over the com, a lie, I was so very far from being ready. "Targets have not arrived yet," another whispered, the space in front of the gates was still empty. "Roger that," someone said over the com, I knew it was Catherine, but I couldn't tell. The paper had landed right below me, the paper that consumed my nightmares. When I glanced down the first words I saw were 'mission completed by Catherine Goode'.

I swear in that moment my heart stopped beating, I felt like I was breathing in water. Something was happening that I didn't understand, my vision became blurred, and I felt drops on my hands, warm drops. Then I felt my cheeks become damp, I didn't understand what was happening. Water was pouring down from my face, it was an uncontrollable stream.

I looked out the window and through the fog of my tears I saw the three Gallagher girls, and another person, someone I recognized. I could only see his back, but I knew it was him, his dark hair and broad shoulders. He looked the same as he had four years ago, the last time I had seen him. Zach Goode was back.

"Morgan, do you have a visual," Catherine shrieked over the com. When Catherine spoke over the com unit, I was suddenly burning with hatred. The only person I can remember loving, killed my mother. Suddenly all of my confusion about my relationship with Catherine turned into hate. Catherine who killed my mom, Catherine who has shown me no affection, Catherine who ignores me. It all lead me to the feel pure uncontrolled hatred.

I looked out window again towards the targets. They were all blurry and shaky, I couldn't stop hyperventilating or clam down, water still poured from my face. I saw some men moving towards the targets, they were the Circle's back up plan. Catherine had already authorized them to move in on the targets.

As they walked towards the targets I couldn't help but wish for Cameron Morgan and her friends to notice the men, but the they seemed to be arguing among themselves. It was dark and the city was loud, the men were almost to them.

Did the targets deserve to die? I really didn't know, but what if they had people who cared about them. What if they were somebody's Augusta Foxx, I didn't want them to die. I didn't want their deaths to be on my hands. The men where only meters away from the targets when simultaneously they reached into their pockets and pulled out their guns. Before they could pull their triggers, I beat them too it.

Three shots, three hits, three dead bodies.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything happened so fast after I fired the shots, the alarms at the embassy went off, and armed guards moved into the streets. They grabbed two people and pulled them inside the gate, but someone ran across the street directly towards the abandoned building I was hiding in. And running right behind her was Zach.

With the gun still in my hands I ran towards the roof, while I decidedly wasn't an ally of the Circle anymore, I wasn't an ally of Gallagher either. As I ran up the steps towards the roof, I heard footsteps on the staircase. Then I pushed open the metal door, and stepped out on the buildings roof.

There was a strong wind that banged the door close behind me. I ran across the roof to the edge. They roof wasn't too high, only about 10 meters, but it was too tall to jump to the ground. There was a couple of meters gap to the next roof. I had no other options, so I threw the gun across, and moved to the far edge.

I took off at full speed towards the edge of the roof, then I jumped. The other roof was less than a meter higher than the roof I had jumped from. I caught the edge with my fingers there was ice on the roof, and I was slipping. My feet flapped beneath me and I hit the fire escape. I kicked off the old metal handrail, and only managed to pull myself onto the roof as the door of the adjacent roof slammed open.

I rolled on my knees, a roof across from her with the gun still in my hands. She gave me a curious look, I must have looked ridiculous to her. I was still wearing my travel clothes, the only semi normal clothes I possessed. A royal blue cardigan over a crisp white blouse, and tan dress pants. My face was still red and spotty from when my eyes had watered, but they had dried. From her facial expression I knew that for a moment I didn't look like your average teenage assassin.

"Who are you," she shouted across to me, I could barely make it out through the piercing wind. As soon as she spoke I moved the rife to my shoulder, but I kept my finger off the trigger.

A door slammed open again, the door to the roof I was on. Zach came running onto the roof. Immediately I shifted the gun towards him, I hadn't seen Zach in almost five years. He was bigger now, a lot bigger. He looked less like the kid I had known long ago, and more like a man. I doubted he would recognize me, but when I looked at him there was a flash of acknowledgement in his eyes.

"Morgan?" Zach said quietly as he looked at me. He gave me a look,it might have been pity or shock, I couldn't decipher it through the blowing snow. Zach, another kid who grew up within the Circle, but he got away. He was fighting against them now, he was out. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of him as he stood there, free from the Circle.

I didn't know what to say, by not killing Cameron I had cut all my ties with the Circle. Maybe I was free from the Circle too, maybe I could stop.

After a few moments of awkward attempts to acknowledge Zach I finally just said, "Hi."

The gun had dropped down to my waist, I must have looked pretty pathetic. Then he smiled at me, I didn't know why. I was a bad person. I had just killed three people right in front of him. He knew I was a terrible person, but he kept smiling.

Before we could have any sort of reunion, the doors of both roofs slammed open. The Circle had found us.

"Cammie, behind you," Zach shouted even though it was clear she knew about the oncoming threat. Three dark figures, no doubt Circle agents, were on her and she seemed to be handling herself fine. More were coming, one behind the other, each concealed with black masks.

There were only a few agents attacking Zach and me. It was too late for me to shoot the first attacker, so I slammed the rife into his face, he went down quickly. I parried a blow from a second attacker, then quickly knead him in the stomach. Leaving a heap of a man on the ground.

"Morgan, help Cammie," Zach shouted at me, for some reason I didn't know, I did what he told me to do. At least seven agents were attacking Cameron, so I took the three closest agents down with the rife. I aimed for the fourth, but I was out of ammo. I counted in my head there should have been more bullets, but I was useless. I was out. The Circle had surrounded Cameron, even a Gallagher girl couldn't take down four full-grown men.

For some unknown reason the survival of Cameron Morgan seemed vital, so I ran to the edge of the roof and jumped, again. The roof was lower, so I had no problem landing. I managed to knock down two bad guys with the gun before I swung too hard and the gun flew out of my hands.

It seemed that as the fury of the fight increased around us, the weather deteriorated. Soon the wind was stinging my face, and snow was spinning like a tornado around us.

For only a spilt second I turned to check on Zach, he had one attacker left and with a punch, Zach knocked him out cold. He turned to us, and smirked at me again, but quickly his smile disappeared and he shouted, "Morgan, behind . . ." I didn't hear the rest.

Zach's words were drowned out by the sound of a gun shot. Something hot and wet and red oozed into my eyes, then gravity took over and I slumped to the ground. I couldn't hear anything, but I saw Zach jump over to the roof. I thought of my mother as I laid on the ground bleeding, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she smiled at me. It was like my life was flashing before my eyes, then the world faded to black.


End file.
